The present invention relates to a thermal generator assembly including heat dissipators such as an X-ray tube and a high-voltage generator that supplies power to the X-ray tube, an X-ray imaging system, and an X-ray apparatus overheat preventing method.
In recent years, X-ray imaging systems including an X-ray computed-tomography (CT) system have employed a high-power X-ray tube. Consequently, a large exposure is used to produce high-quality images or continuous X-irradiation is performed to acquire image information from a wider radiographic range.
On the other hand, as more and more X-ray tubes generate higher power, a quantity of heat dissipated from an X-ray tube has increased. Along with the heat dissipation, the X-ray tube may be overheated and deteriorated. In order to prevent deterioration, before radiography is performed, a quantity of heat dissipated from the X-ray tube for the radiography is estimated. If the quantity of dissipated heat exceeds a permissible range, radiography is stopped or the conditions for radiography are reviewed (refer to, for example, Patent Document 1).
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-231775 (P.2 to P.3, FIG. 6 and FIG. 7).
However, according to the foregoing background technology, a quantity of heat dissipated from a high-voltage generator that supplies power to an X-ray tube is not estimated. Therefore, the conditions for radiography are not reviewed based on the information on the quantity of dissipated heat. In other words, every time high-power radiography is repeated, the high-voltage generator is overheated to deteriorate or have the reliability thereof degraded.
In particular, the power generated by an X-ray tube has drastically increased in recent years. A load the high-voltage generator incurs in supplying power to the X-ray tube has also increased. These increases become factors causing the X-ray high-voltage generator to overheat and to eventually deteriorate or have the reliability thereof degraded.
Consequently, it is important how to realize a thermal generator assembly that optimizes quantities of heat dissipated from an X-ray tube and a high-voltage generator which supplies power to the X-ray tube, an X-ray imaging system, and an X-ray apparatus overheat preventing method.